Agenda Item No. COMMUNITY SAFETY & WASTE MANAGEMENT … · 2017. 3. 30. · 2.6 Officers will procure a re-use retail contract to appoint an experienced retailer ... 5.2 In April

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COMMUNITY SAFETY & WASTE MANAGEMENT CABINET PANEL THURSDAY 30 MARCH 2017 AT 2:00PM RE-USE PROVISION AT HOUSEHOLD WASTE RECYCLING CENTRES

Report of the Chief Executive & Director of Environment Author: Tim Forster, Waste Management Project Officer

[Tel: 01992 556344] Executive Member: Richard Thake, Community Safety & Waste Management 1. Purpose of report

1.1 To update the Panel on the current provision of re-use services for items brought to Hertfordshire Household Waste Recycling Centres (HWRCs); and

1.2 To set out a proposed approach to further develop re-use provision and

inform the Panel of the timescales associated with these service developments.

2. Summary 2.1 Hertfordshire’s 17 HWRCs are managed on behalf of the Council by Amey under

the Household Waste Recycling Service (HWRS) contract, which encompasses all aspects of the service. The Council and Amey are working in partnership to bring about improvements to the way in which this frontline service is provided.

2.2 On-site re-use provision within the HWRC network began in March 2012 and

currently consists of one purpose built re-use centre at the Harpenden HWRC operated by Sue Ryder and a further 14 smaller ‘pop-up’ units operated by Amey.

2.3 Research into re-use provision by other local authorities and an assessment

produced on behalf of the national Waste Resources Action Programme (WRAP) has identified that there is a potential for further development of re-use in Hertfordshire.

2.4 The current re-use provision has shown that there is significant interest from

residents in purchasing items at HWRCs, with 112 tonnes of material diverted from the waste stream to be sold, generating an income to the council of £47,000 in 2015/16.

2.5 In order to improve the re-use service, two new purpose built re-use centres are

currently being designed for the Rickmansworth and Waterdale HWRCs, together

Agenda Item No.

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with an extension to the existing Harpenden centre. Planning permission will be been applied for, and, if successful, it is anticipated that these centres will be constructed by late summer 2017.

2.6 Officers will procure a re-use retail contract to appoint an experienced retailer

who will collect suitable items from across the HWRC network and manage the re-use facilities. The procurement will be an outcome-based specification allowing bidders to recommend how the benefits will be maximised.

2.7 Evaluation criteria for considering proposals will incorporate an assessment of

income generation, service quality, and social value improvements in order to achieve a balance between the benefits that the re-use service is expected to bring.

3. Recommendations The Panel is invited to: 3.1 endorse the proposed approach identified by officers to use an outcome-based

specification when procuring for a re-use retail partner, as outlined in section 8; and

3.2 note the proposed approach identified by officers to establish evaluation criteria

for the re-use retail tender which will ensure a healthy balance between service quality, profitability and social value is achieved; and

3.3 note the proposed approach identified by officers to use a profit sharing

mechanism between the re-use retailer, Amey and the Council to incentivise all parties to maximise their re-use efforts.

4. What is Re-use? 4.1 ‘Re-use’ refers to diverting items, which are no longer wanted, away from the

waste stream, to be used again as a product, rather than being sent for recycling or disposal.

4.2 Re-use can include cleaning, repair, refurbishment and up-cycling (adding value

to a product by improving its appearance), as well as simply diverting items directly for resale. In terms of the Waste Hierarchy re-use sits just below prevention as shown in Figure 1.

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Figure 1 – Waste Hierarchy

4.3 For the purpose of this report, re-use is referred to as the diverting of items,

which have been brought to HWRCs, away from the waste stream by sale of goods on-site, such as CDs, crockery and other bric-a-brac; this may also include certain items being repaired off-site such as furniture and / or bicycles.

5. Background Research 5.1 Current re-use provision generates a revenue income for the Council as

well as bringing about environmental benefits by diverting items from the waste stream.

5.2 In April 2016, a consultant called Resource Futures, working on behalf of WRAP as part of a government led initiative to divert waste from disposal, produced a report which indicates there is potential to improve re-use provision at Hertfordshire HWRCs. The report focused on constructing a purpose built re-use centre at the Waterdale HWRC and indicated that a potential sales turnover of £83,000 could be achievable within 2-3 years, which could result in an additional 153 tonnes of items being sold for re-use.

5.3 Between December 2015 and January 2017, council officers carried out a number of visits to re-use centres operated by other local authorities to help inform developments in Hertfordshire and to learn from problems experienced by others and reflect best practise identified.

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6. Current re-use service 6.1 The Harpenden re-use centre was opened in March 2012 and has since been

operated by Sue Ryder, under contract with the HWRS provider. Appendix 1 shows the position of the Harpenden re-use centre, which is adjacent to the HWRC enabling ease of diversion of items but is self-contained, which means that visitors wishing to take time browsing do not delay other residents wishing to access the HWRC to dispose of their waste.

6.2 The stock is a combination of directly donated items and diversion by operatives

from the adjacent HWRC. Additional ‘preparation’ activities are carried out through on-site Portable Appliance Testing (PAT) and function testing of electricals and bicycles being serviced through a prisoner rehabilitation scheme.

6.3 Sue Ryder’s approach has been to mimic a high street charity shop by presenting

good quality items to try to achieve high prices. Despite this approach limiting the tonnage diverted, there is an estimated 5,000 items sold per annum at the Harpenden re-use centre. Table 1 shows a breakdown of the number of items sold.

Table 1 – Number of items sold at the Harpenden re-use centre

Item Category Number of Items Sold

Bric-a-Brac 3,550

Furniture 1,200

Electrical Items 250

TOTAL 5,000

6.4 Experience of operating the Harpenden re-use centre has shown that

improvements in performance are limited by the size of the retail space available. Although Sue Ryder have erected temporary storage facilities and endeavour to make use of outdoor sale areas during periods of good weather, a purpose built expansion to the facility would be beneficial.

6.5 In July 2013, the Council installed a ‘pop-up’ unit at the St Albans HWRC in the

form of a converted shipping container, which enables site operatives to securely store and sell items suitable for re-use. As part of Amey’s service changes in 2015, they have introduced similar units at 13 other sites. The two remaining sites are Buntingford and Cole Green which are limited by size and existing third party arrangements.

6.6 Amey’s experience of operating these smaller ‘pop-up’ units suggests that,

although popular with residents, their provision needs to be considered alongside a need to try to avoid increased pressure on the network from users wishing to simply dispose of waste quickly and who do not want to be delayed by those visiting to browse the re-use items.

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7. Construction of purpose built re-use centres

7.1 Officers have identified that the Rickmansworth and Waterdale HWRCs are suitable locations to construct two new purpose built re-use centres. Additionally, there is sufficient space available to extend the existing Harpenden re-use centre (see Appendix 2).

7.2 Following a competitive tender process Ingleton Wood LLP has been appointed to design the three larger re-use centres.

7.3 Once the final designs are agreed Ingleton Wood will appoint a construction firm and, if planning consent is achieved, will project manage the builds to the point that the re-use centres are complete, which is expected to be late Summer 2017. Table 2 shows the anticipated timescales associated with the construction of the re-use centres. Table 2 – Construction Timescales

Action Date

Appointment of consultant December 2016

Designs agreed March 2017

Planning application submission April 2017

Construction firm procurement April to May 2017

Planning approval decision July 2017

Construction period July to September 2017

Re-use centres complete September 2017

8. Retailer Appointment 8.1 During the second half of 2015/16, officers carried out a Pre-Procurement

Market Engagement (PPME) exercise to seek the market’s views on how to make the most of re-use at the HWRCS.

8.2 A good level of participation in the PPME was seen with nine questionnaire responses, 11 organisations attending an open day and a total of 13 one-to-one meetings. Responses were from a broad range of organisations, including local and national charities.

8.3 The key feedback was:

• Suppliers highlighted that maintaining a close relationship with Amey would be a key success factor for a re-use retail contract due to the reliance on HWRC operatives segregating a sufficient quantity of suitable items. Suppliers suggested that an operatives’ incentive scheme for maximising diversion to re-use would be critical to meet the full re-use potential.

• The markets preferred approach would be a profit sharing arrangement between the council, Amey and the third party retailer rather than paying a fixed amount for the ‘rights’ to operate the centres. Suppliers

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wanted a profit sharing mechanism to incentivise all parties to maximise re-use effort and share the risks more evenly.

• The quantity of items diverted for re-use can be increased through a series of techniques, such as strong branding, sales of electricals, repairing / up-cycling furniture, and the use of online sales for higher value items.

• In addition to achieving the objectives of greater financial income and an increased quantity of items diverted from disposal, there is potential for the re-use project to result in wider social value improvements.

• There is concern from certain charities that if they are not successful in their bid to work with the council the increased competition could be detrimental to their local operations.

8.4 It is proposed to appoint a third party to run the retail operation, including collecting items from across the HWRC network, arranging repair / up-cycling and safety testing, recording and providing data, and conducting sales. Table 3 details the anticipated timescales for developing re-use retail at HWRCs.

Table 3 – Re-use retail project timescales

Action Date

Presentation of re-use report to panel March 2017

Preparation of Tender Documents March to April 2017

Advertise retailer opportunity April 2017

Tender evaluation June 2017

Contract award July 2017

Retailer mobilisation period July to October 2017

Re-use centres open October 2017

Initial contract period October 2017 to March 2023

Potential extension period April 2023 to March 2030

8.5 A number of decisions that need to be made prior to advertising a tender to retailers are detailed in Appendix 3.

9. Financial Implications 9.1 The costs of construction and expansion will be met using the remaining

£333,000 of Waste Infrastructure Capital Grant (WICG) funding which was part of a larger amount historically awarded for the promotion of waste up the Waste Hierarchy. No further capital bid for additional funding will be required at this time.

9.2 It is anticipated that the expansion of re-use has the potential to increase income received and to reduce disposal costs by diverting material from the waste stream. The arrangements are expected to have a positive

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effect on the revenue budget and this is recognised through a series of stretch targets in the council’s integrated Plan, which, following an underspend in 2016/17, allocates an initial £50,000 revenue budget reduction in 2017/18, followed by an additional £50,000 income expected during 2018/19 and a further additional £50,000 income anticipated in 2019/20.

9.3 The ‘Financial Arrangements’ row in Appendix 3 describes the relative advantages and disadvantages of possible financial mechanisms which could be used in the re-use retail contract. It is proposed that a profit share will be used to incentivise all parties to maximise re-use efforts.

10. Legal Implications 10.1 Officers have worked with Legal Services to ensure that the provision of

further re-use across the HWRC network is permissible (as a change control) under the existing HWRS contract.

10.2 The council will enter into a new contract with the successfully appointed

third party re-use retailer, which will include details of the profit sharing mechanism.

10.3 A Service Level Agreement (SLA) will need to be drawn up between

Amey, the council and the successfully appointed re-use retailer to agree which party is responsible for which part of the service and address any other operational matters.

11. Equalities Implications 11.1 When considering proposals placed before Members it is important that

they are fully aware of, and have themselves considered the equality implications of the decision that they are making.

11.2 Rigorous consideration will ensure the proper appreciation of any potential

impact of that decision on the Council’s statutory obligations under the Public Sector Equality Duty. As a minimum this requires decision makers to read and carefully consider the content of any Equalities Impact Assessment (EqIA) produced by officers.

11.3 The Equality Act 2010 requires the Council when exercising its functions

to have due regard to the need to (a) eliminate discrimination, harassment, victimisation and other conduct prohibited under the Act; (b) advance equality of opportunity between persons who share a relevant protected characteristic and persons who do not share it and (c) foster good relations between persons who share a relevant protected characteristic and persons who do not share it. The protected characteristics under the Equality Act 2010 are age; disability; gender reassignment; marriage and civil partnership; pregnancy and maternity; race; religion and belief, sex and sexual orientation.

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11.4 For completeness the EqIA for the re-use retail procurement is included in

Appendix 4. This takes into consideration the potential impact of the re-use retail operation on service users and officers have worked with the Equality and Diversity Team to ensure that issues that may arise are capable of mitigation.

12. Background papers

Community Safety and Waste Management Cabinet Panel Household Waste Recycling Centre Service 1 July 2016

http://cmis.hertfordshire.gov.uk/hertfordshire/Calendarofcouncilmeetings/tabid/70/ctl/ViewMeetingPublic/mid/397/Meeting/416/Committee/53/Default.aspx

Household Waste Recycling Centre Service 21 October 2015 http://cmis.hertfordshire.gov.uk/hertfordshire/Calendarofcouncilmeetings/tabid/70/ctl/ViewMeetingPublic/mid/397/Meeting/411/Committee/53/Default.aspx

Highways & Waste Management Cabinet Panel:

Household Waste Recycling Centres – New Contract Implementation- 17 March 2015

Recycling Report.doc

Household Waste Recycling Centres – Procurement of a New Service 18

September 2014

140918 04 HWRC Procurment of a new service.doc

Included within this report:

Appendix 1 Current Re-use Centre Provision

Appendix 2 – Locations identified for re-use centres

Appendix 3 – Detailed Considerations for Retailer Procurement Appendix 4 – Equality Impact Assessment for Re-use Retail Procurement




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Appendix 1 – Current Re-use Centre Provision

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Appendix 2 – Locations identified for re-use centres

Harpenden

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Rickmansworth

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Waterdale

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Appendix 3 – Detailed Considerations for Retailer Procurement

Consideration Description Advantages Disadvantages Action

‘Pop-up’ Unit Sales

Amey operatives could continue to make sales from 'pop-up' units, or the units could simply be used for secure storage of items for onward transfer to re-use centres, where they would be sold by the re-use retailer.

Promotes the local circular economy. Increases accessibility of the re-use service as it would enable residents to continue purchasing items from their local HWRC rather than travel to the larger re-use centres.

Could cause complications / friction between Amey and the retailer if operatives wish to sell an item which the retailer decides to collect. There is a risk of abuse by HWRC operatives if cash sales continue on sites. Retailers are concerned that their brand will be associated with the re-use operation, but it would not be their staff making sales from the 'pop-up' units. The full price potential of an item might not be achieved if an operative sells it from a 'pop-up' unit rather than an experienced retailer transferring it to a re-use centre; therefore revenue generation may be reduced.

An output-based specification will enable retailers to state whether sales would continue at ‘pop-up’ units. Tenderers will be required to state how they will work with Amey to maximise the benefits, including promoting the local circular economy.

Local Benefits Some smaller enterprises have expressed concern that the turnover requirements will prevent them from bidding.

Enabling smaller scale, local enterprises to provide this service may maximise the social value benefits for local communities within Hertfordshire.

The turnover thresholds are in place to ensure that the successful organisation has the capacity to provide this service and that the organisation would be in a position to continue trading when this contract comes to an end. Larger organisations may benefit from economies of scale, such as being able

The Council will accept proposals for local organisations to carry out parts of the service under sub-contract with the main re-use retailer. Bids from consortia

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to collect from all 'pop-up' units with one van and therefore may be in a position to offer a more competitive bid. Existing local organisations may not have the expertise of retailing on an HWRC, which may require a different approach to a traditional retail unit. If the opportunity was awarded to multiple organisations having been advertised as 'lots', there would be an increased contract management resource required from both Amey and Council officers.

made up of a number of organisations will be welcomed. Officers will assess the practicality of advertising the opportunity as smaller ‘lots’ to further increase accessibility to local organisations.

Social Value The re-use project has the potential to bring about social value improvements in addition to increased revenue and environmental benefits. Examples of social value which may be seen are job creation / volunteering opportunities, supporting wider charitable aims, and providing social care through outreach programmes and running hostels or hospices.

Further benefits may arise from the expansion of re-use, which would have positive social impacts. There may be opportunities to work with other Council teams, such as Community Wellbeing to support their existing work portfolio, for example furniture may be provided to those in need of Crisis Care from re-use centres, rather than a voucher given for purchase from third parties.

An organisation may offer a broad provision of social value improvements; however this could limit the financial return which would be received. There is potential that a national charity may offer a more comprehensive / competitive re-use service; however the local social benefits seen may be limited.

There will be a separate social value section in the evaluation process. Tenderers will receive a higher social value evaluation score for benefits which will be seen within Hertfordshire.

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Financial Arrangements

Retailers have generally indicated that they would prefer to enter into a profit share arrangement between the Council, Amey and the retailer, rather than paying a fixed rental amount.

In general, retailers have suggested that they would be willing to pass greater sums to the Council and Amey through a profit share. Using a profit share would incentivise all parties to maximise re-use efforts, which would in turn enhance the success of the re-use operation. If the retailer failed to meet their projections having guaranteed a fixed rental amount, the contract could become a cost to them, which could mean an early end to the contract and disrupt this frontline service. Evaluating tender responses which offer a combination of a profit share and a fixed rental amount would be complicated.

There is a risk that the Council may only receive a limited financial return in a profit sharing scenario if the re-use operation fails to achieve sufficient profitability. A fixed rental agreement would guarantee a figure and therefore provide budget certainty.

It is proposed that a profit share will form the financial mechanism for the retail contract. Retailers will be assessed on how they propose to maximise profits as well as the percentage of profits that the Council will receive. A proportion of the profit generated will be used to incentivise site operatives to maximise segregation of suitable stock for sale.

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Contractual Relationships

A three way relationship between Amey, the Council and the retailer may be complicated to manage.

If the Contract is directly between the Council and the retailer, a greater level of control will be held by the Council during the procurement process and contract period. If the HWRS contract with Amey is not extended beyond 2023, the third party re-use retail contract could only continue if the contract was direct with the Council.

Considerations as to how relationships between the re-use retailer and Amey will be maintained are required.

The retailer will enter into a contract directly with the Council. A Service Level Agreement (SLA) will be drawn up to agree who is responsible for each part of the service.

Scope of Items for Retail

A decision is required over which materials / items would be made available for sale by the re-use retailer, such as books, textiles and electricals. Electrical items such as flat screen TVs can be PAT and function tested and sold as working. 'Lots' of electrical items can also be sold in bulk to trade customers, who would carry out repairs to make them suitable for retail.

Incorporating a wider diversity of materials / items into the re-use retail contract is likely result in a greater tonnage diverted for re-use and so move some materials up the Waste Hierarchy. The sale of electrical items has the potential to yield significant financial returns.

Amey currently has fixed contracts in place for some materials / items, such as textiles, which bring about an income to Amey and the Council. There are some risks that electrical items sold to trade customers at auctions could enter illegitimate disposal streams, which may bring about negative publicity to the Council.

An output-based specification will enable retailers to state which items they propose to incorporate into the re-use retail operation. A pragmatic assessment will be carried out whether to incorporate a proposed material stream into the re-use retail contract or continue with Amey's existing arrangements; however textiles will need to remain outside the scope of this

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contract. The retailer will be required to explain how they will manage the sale of electrical items to maximise the return and minimise the risks in terms of onward disposal routes. It is anticipated that risks could be minimised by advertising a strict policy (e.g. for UK market only), recording serial numbers and retaining buyer details.

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Operational Model

Considerations need to be given to the operational model which re-use retailers will be required to adopt.

Two possible models currently identified are:

High Street model – good quality items are neatly displayed and high prices are achieved.

Emporium model – larger quantities of items are sold at lower prices.

A high street model may maximise financial returns. This approach has proved successful at the existing Harpenden re-use centre.

An emporium style model may maximise tonnage diversion. This approach has been successfully implemented by other Local Authorities.

A high street style model may limit the quantity of items diverted.

An emporium style model may return a lower financial sum.

An output-based specification will enable retailers to identify which operational model they will implement.

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‘Preparation for Re-use’ Activities

‘Preparation for re-use' refers to activities such as cleaning, up-cycling, repair, refurbishment and function testing. The size of areas available for re-use centres is not sufficient for such activities; therefore on-site provision will be limited to storage, PAT testing and sales of items. Market research has shown there are a number of organisations local to Hertfordshire who can provide such services off-site.

Such activities could increase the quantity of items diverted for re-use.

Local organisations may carry out ‘preparation’ activities as part of a training or outreach programme; therefore additional social value benefits may be achievable.

Costs of employing additional staff to carry out such activities, especially those requiring skilled labour may limit any additional revenue return received.

Proposals will be welcomed for items to be taken off-site for 'preparation' activities either by the retailer or by sub-contracted third parties. It will be permitted for items removed from site to be either returned for sale or sold off-site providing suitable tracking is in place for data collection and income sharing purposes.

Opening Hours The Harpenden and Rickmansworth re-use centres will be designed to enable them to open to the public seven days a week. This will not be possible for Waterdale because it is within the main HWRC.

Seven day a week opening is likely to maximise the number / tonnage of items sold.

There are potential conflicts if residents bring their waste to the re-use centres when the adjacent HWRC is closed. The footfall may also be significantly reduced on HWRC closed days and therefore the revenue return may not cover the extra costs of opening the re-use centres.

An output-based specification will enable tenderers to advise how they would maximise benefits, including which days / times the re-use centres would be open to the public.

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Re-use Centre Locations

The proposed re-use centres are all to the West of the County.

The HWRCs identified are those which have sufficient space available to construct re-use centres. The HWRCs identified are better placed than others in the network to accommodate extra demand from visitors wishing to browse re-use items.

Accessibility to residents living centrally or to the East of the County is limited. Widespread collection of items from across the County will be required, which will have financial and environmental impacts.

All future HWRC developments will incorporate a purpose built re-use centre, including the redevelopment of the Ware HWRC, which is currently in the design stage.

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Appendix 4 – Equality Impact Assessment for Re-use Retail Procurement

STEP 1: Responsibility and involvement

Title of proposal/ project/strategy/ procurement/policy

Expansion of Re-use Retail Provision

Head of Service or Business Manager

Matthew King

Names of those involved in completing the EqIA:

Tim Forster Lead officer contact details:

Tim Forster Ext. 26344

Date completed: 16 February 2017 Review date: July 2017

STEP 2: Objectives of proposal and scope of assessment – what do you want to achieve?

Proposal objectives:

− what you want to achieve

− intended outcomes

− purpose and need

Expand the provision of re-use at Household Waste Recycling Centres (HWRCs) to enable a greater quantity of discarded items to be diverted for sale as reusable goods rather than being broken down for recycling or being disposed of. There are three intended outcomes of this re-use retail project:

1. Bring about environmental benefits by increasing the quantity of items diverted from the waste stream for re-use.

2. Generate financial income through the sale of reusable items, which will result in a net saving on the cost of HWRC service provision.

3. Achieve wider social value improvements through

the running of the retail operation. It is intended that following an initial capital investment in infrastructure to build and expand purpose-built re-use centres, a third party re-use retailer will be appointed to run the centres. Low key re-use retail activities already in place across the HWRC network have indicated that there is a demand for the service and market research has indicated that the most effective way of improving the service will be to focus on constructing larger, purpose built re-use centres.

Stakeholders: Who will be affected: the public, partners, staff, service users, local Member etc

Internal Council Officers County Councillors Existing retail provider’s staff External Hertfordshire residents / site users The Household Waste Recycling Service (HWRS) service contractor Existing off-site re-use operations local to the HWRCs New re-use retailer (to be appointed)

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STEP 3: Available data and monitoring information

Relevant equality information For example: Community profiles / service user demographics, data and monitoring information (local and national), similar or previous EqIAs, complaints, audits or inspections, local knowledge and consultations.

What the data tell us about equalities

Re-use is currently provided at 15 HWRCs across the network from a series of ‘pop-up’ units, together with one purpose-built re-use centre. Data is collected in terms of the quantity of items sold and income achieved, both of which have remained steady across the first two years of the HWRS contract with Amey.

The information collected relates to materials and value, not to individuals. All sales are completed in cash and thus no credit card information is collected.

STEP 4: Impact Assessment – Service Users, communities and partners (where relevant)

Protected characteristic

Potential for negative impact What reasonable mitigations can you propose?

Age The re-use retail service will be made available to all visitors to the three HWRCs which will host re-use centres – no negative impacts currently identified.

Review and monitor.

Disability Including Learning Disability

The re-use centres will be formed of new modular buildings which will be accessible to site visitors. The layout and design of the shops could negatively impact disabled site users if they are unable to access all retail areas, for example if stairs are the only way to access a second floor. The re-use centres will be located away from the main part of the HWRCs and will have their own dedicated parking bays.

Step-free access will be incorporated into the designs of the two new re-use centres. A wheelchair ramp is already in place at the Harpenden centre. The Rickmansworth and Harpenden centres will be single storey. There is the potential for the Waterdale centre to incorporate a second floor below the main part of the centre, which would only be accessible by stairs. In the event that the below ground floor is constructed, this area would not be open for members of the public, but would instead be made available for storage of some smaller items by staff members. The re-use retailer will be required to display items of stock in a manner which allows suitable passageways for wheelchair users to navigate around the whole retail area. At each location, there will be at

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least one disabled parking bay, which will be the bay located in the closest proximity to the disabled entrance. Specifications for accessible premises will be incorporated into the re-use centre designs and the retail tender documents will state a requirement for such access to be maintained at all times. A requirement for information on accessibility, including in easy read and other languages will also be included in the retail tender.

Race There are potential language barriers between site visitors wishing to purchase items and retail staff.

Trained members of staff will be available to assist any language related needs using the telephone interpreting service as necessary.

Gender reassignment

The re-use retail service will be made available to all visitors to the three HWRCs which will host re-use centres – no negative impacts currently identified.

Review and monitor.

Pregnancy and maternity


Review and monitor.

Religion or belief The re-use retail service will be made available to all visitors to the three HWRCs which will host re-use centres – no negative impacts currently identified.

Review and monitor.

Sex The re-use retail service will be made available to all visitors to the three HWRCs which will host re-use centres – no negative impacts currently identified.

Review and monitor.

Sexual orientation The re-use retail service will be made available to all visitors to the three HWRCs which will host re-use centres – no negative impacts currently identified.

Review and monitor.

Marriage & civil partnership


Review and monitor.

Carers (by association with any of the above)

The re-use retail service will be made available to all visitors to the three HWRCs which will

Review and monitor.

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host re-use centres – no negative impacts currently identified.

Opportunity to advance equality of opportunity and/or foster good relations (Please refer to the guidance for more information on the public sector duties)

It is intended that the re-use retailer opportunity will be made available to third sector organisations and therefore there may be an opportunity to work with organisations that provide social benefits, including employment opportunities and training, as well as wider social value improvements, which may have a positive impact on equality. The design of existing ‘pop-up’ units is prohibitive to individuals with certain physical disabilities, as their limited size and design prevents them being accessible to wheelchair users. It is likely that the re-use retailer will have a system in place to transport items collected at the ‘pop-up’ units for retail at the new re-use centres, which will have disabled access incorporated into the designs and layouts, meaning all individuals will now be able to access the retail spaces.

Impact Assessment – Staff (where relevant)


Potential for negative impact What reasonable mitigation can you propose?

Age No impact currently identified. Review and monitor.

Disability Including Learning Disability

Disabled access to all areas will be made available at the Rickmansworth and Harpenden shops; however disabled access is only possible for the main retail space at the Waterdale centre. The below ground storage space at Waterdale will only be accessible via an existing staircase. There is potential that the re-use retailer’s staff may be required to carry out some activities on the HWRCs, such as the segregation / collection of stock. The nature of these working waste sites means that they are not suitable for individuals with certain disabilities due to Health and Safety limitations

Employees of the re-use retailer with physical disabilities based at the Waterdale re-use centre will not be able to access the below ground storage facility, but will be able to work within the main retail area. During the procurement process for a re-use retailer checks will be carried out to ensure they have equalities policies in place. The re-use retailer will be responsible for ensuring the appointed staff are suitable to meet the Health and Safety requirements of the HWRCs. It will be made clear in the tender process that accessibility must be maintained at all times and there will be a requirement for clear signage including easy read and in other languages as appropriate to be in place.

Race No impact currently identified. Review and monitor.

Gender reassignment

No impact currently identified. Review and monitor.

Pregnancy and maternity


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Potential for negative impact What reasonable mitigation can you propose?

Religion or belief


Sex No impact currently identified. Review and monitor.

Sexual orientation


Marriage & civil partnership


Carers (by association with any of the above)


STEP 5: Gaps identified

Gaps identified Do you need to collect more data/information or carry out consultation? (A ‘How to engage’ consultation guide is on Compass). How will you make sure your consultation is accessible to those affected?

This EQIA is to be reviewed in July 2017 once the final designs have been granted planning permission and the retailer has been appointed following a tender process. Following this, an annual review at the start of each financial year will take place, beginning April 2018.

STEP 6: Other impacts Consider if your proposal has the potential (positive and negative) to impact on areas such as health and wellbeing, crime and disorder and community relations. There is more information in the guidance.

STEP 7: Conclusion of your analysis

Select one conclusion of your analysis Give details

No equality impacts identified

− No change required to proposal.

x

Minimal equality impacts identified

− Adverse impacts have been identified, but have been objectively justified (provided you do not unlawfully discriminate).

− Ensure decision makers consider the cumulative effect of how a number of decisions impact on equality.

The re-use retail service will be available to all HWRC visitors and will not be restrictive. Disabled access to retail spaces for both staff members and service users will be improved compared to the current provision; however the area available at the Waterdale site means that disabled access will not be possible for the proposed below ground storage area.

Potential equality impacts identified

− Take ‘mitigating action’ to remove barriers or better advance equality.

− Complete the action plan in the next section.

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Select one conclusion of your analysis Give details

Major equality impacts identified

− Stop and remove the policy

− The adverse effects are not justified, cannot be mitigated or show unlawful discrimination.

− Ensure decision makers understand the equality impact.

STEP 8: Action plan

Issue or opportunity identified relating to:

− Mitigation measures

− Further research

− Consultation proposal

− Monitor and review

Action proposed

Officer Responsible and target date

Ensure all bidders are aware of their commitments under the Equality Act 2010 including;

• Disabled access

• Availability of information into other languages as appropriate including in Easy read format

To evaluate through the tendering process

Tim Forster, June 2017

Ensure smooth communication between staff and customers regardless of their ability to communicate into English due to language or deafness related sensory needs

To discuss the use of translation and interpreting service including; -Telephone interpreting service for limited English speakers and -Sign Language service for Deaf customers

Tim Forster, October 2017